The children of Lilliwell
by Thunder Croft
Summary: Two children disappeared from the village of Lilliwell in 1967 and Blaze, Knuckles and Rouge must find out what happened. Sonic and Shadow receive a letter from Manic in 1994, telling them that people are dying and they must come to the village. Amy and Silver's train breaks down in 2013 and the nearest hotel is in Lilliwell. What links them all together?
1. The disappearance

**Hal·low·een**

_[hal-uh-ween]_

_Noun _

_The __evening__ of __October__31;__ the eve of All Saints' __Day;__All hallows Eve__: __observed__ especially by children in costumes who solicit __treats,__ often by threatening minor pranks. _

**Well, would you look at that! It's the 31****st**** of October! Do you have a new story, Thunder, you might ask?**

**Yes. Yes I do.**

**As promised, I have created a new story which is a...'follow-on'...of my 'Timelock House' story. Not a sequel, but a story which has the same format as the last one.**

**And this one is called: 'The Children of Lilliwell'**

**(Although you should, hopefully, already know that)**

**Excited? I know I am.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who supported me in 'Timelock House' - especially all those lovely people who left beautiful messages on the last chapter :') **

**So, grab your popcorn and possibly a cushion because the story is about to unfold...**

'_The Children of Lilliwell'_

_Chapter 1 – The disappearance_

**(...1967...)**

It had been mid June when they disappeared.

As per usual, the roasting sun was cooking a purple cat through the classroom window. She'd been placed there at the beginning of the year, without choice. She didn't mind her seat when it was the frozen winter – when she could look out of the window and shudder as she thankfully sat in an insulated classroom. But it was on days like today when Blaze the cat hated sitting in her front row seat. The clear blue sky meant that the sun was shining directly on her table and into her eyes.

She spent the entire lesson trying to sit in a position which didn't involve a part of her body being burnt by the heat.

She'd managed to squirm into a position on the edge of her chair, (which didn't clash with the person next to her) which allowed her to see the board and stay cool. However, by the time she found it, the bell began to ring.

"Dammit," Blaze muttered, under her breath, as she grabbed her rucksack and dashed out of the class. At least it was the end of the day and she could go home back to Lilliwell.

A sigh escaped her lips as she began to navigate around the crowds of students in the corridor. Her locker wasn't that far away – but between them was around a hundred students, pushing and shoving to break free from the drudge of school.

Finally reaching her locker, Blaze dumped her rucksack on the ground and unlocked the locker, before beginning to take out her books for Monday. Her bag was crammed full and she knew that she had a long walk back home – but she needed to get all her homework done.

"You know, your bag would be lighter if you took out all those god damn reading books, Blaze,"

She sighed, slamming the door shut and heaving the bag onto her back, "I need something to do at lunch. I can't run around and play football like you do. I'm a girl. And I hate football. I suck at sports. I'm so glad that I don't have to do it anymore. I remember when I used to have to do those stupid lessons. Urgh, the humiliation..."

"It's not that bad," Knuckles smirked, swinging his own light messenger bag on his shoulder, "Anyway, enough about school and stuff. Here, let's swap bags. Mine's lighter than yours,"

"Okay, what do you want?" She asked, suspiciously – but she still gave him the bag and threw his own onto her shoulder, "You're never usually this nice to me,"

"I'm just being friendly! You know, I thought maybe this weekend, we could hang out...movie night at mine...tonight...seeing as Rouge is back..."

"You're not still crushing on her, are you?" She laughed, poking him in the ribs as they left the school grounds, "It's been ages!"

"_Shut up_! You haven't told her, right?"

"My lips are sealed,"

Knuckles and Blaze had been good friends over a long course of time. They'd met when Knuckles discovered that Blaze was friends with Rouge the bat and, having a HUGE crush on her, he had befriended Blaze in order to become closer to Rouge. However, the two had become close friends and Rouge completed their unlikely trio of friendship.

"Anyway, other than hanging out with me and Rouge," Knuckles led the way, turning off down the country lane towards Lilliwell. Most of the children at their school were living locally in the city – but Knuckles, Blaze and other children from the village, had to travel a long distance to reach their school. Luckily for Knuckles and Blaze, they were in their last year of school and soon, they wouldn't have to make this journey again. The summer holidays were only three weeks away, "What else are you doing at the weekend?"

Blaze shrugged, casually, "I dunno. I've got a ton of Chemistry homework, a massive report for Geography and some English course work. I'll probably work on that after we've had movie night. What about you?"

Movie night was a tradition in Rouge, Knuckles and Blaze's friendship. The three of them would take turns to go round each other's houses and watch a movie (chosen by the majority. That was a rule which Blaze had implemented) together. This time, it was Knuckles' turn to have them round, "Hmm...well, I've got a load of history homework, but I can't be bothered with it this weekend,"

"You'll get another detention," Blaze reminded him, smoothing her skirt down as she clambered over a loose piece of wood which was lying in the middle of the pathway. The two of them had taken a short cut, which narrowed their journey by about 5 miles, but it was considerably more rural. In the middle of the summer, in the stuffy countryside, Blaze was starting to resent her long sleeved white blouse.

"Yeah, I guess,"

"We're nearly at the end of school, Knuckles. Try not to get a detention in the last three weeks, eh?"

"Hmmm. You're right. There are three weeks left...which means we won't have to work as hard!"

"You never learn..."

"Just cause you're a nerd and you don't...hey, it's Rouge!"

The red echidna started running ahead, despite Blaze's back-breaking bag. The lavender cat looked up and smirked when she saw the ivory bat which was strolling down the street.

She looked great, as always. There was definitely a stereotypical personality trait in all of them. Blaze was the quiet, shy girl who got A-grades in her tests. Knuckles was the reckless but loveable boy who adored sport and getting into trouble. Rouge was the cool girl – reading endless fashion magazines and having boys chase her every day of the week.

"Knuckie! Blazey!" She called, dashing towards them, surprisingly fast, in her white stilettos. Blaze couldn't help but think that Rouge's black and white jumper dress was far too short for her – but the cat wasn't exactly the height of fashion, so she didn't like to comment. And Knuckles certainly didn't seem to mind.

"Hey! How come you're here?" Blaze asked, scurrying over to them with a broad grin. Rouge the bat was only 5 months older than Knuckles (whose birthday was at the start of November) but that meant that she was one school year ahead from the echidna and the cat. Rouge was currently on her gap year – but was planning to go to college in the autumn. She had returned from her travels in April and was full of interesting news about the countries that she had visited. Knuckles had missed her, sorely, and Blaze had been left to try and console him.

"I've got some really bad news!" She puffed, obviously having run from the village to meet the two of them. She flicked her hair out of her eyes before continuing, "You know that kid who you baby sit sometimes, Blaze? Cream the rabbit? And that other kid, the fox called Tails?"

"Hmmm?" Knuckles frowned for a moment before clicking his fingers, "Tails? I know him! We were close a couple of years back. We haven't spoken in a while but now that I think about it...I haven't seen him in a while..."

Rouge nodded, frantically, "You wouldn't have,"

A frown found its way onto Blaze's face, "Why not?"

"Because he's disappeared. Both of them. They've vanished,"

**(...1994...)**

The silence emitted by Shadow was ominous and Sonic didn't like it one bit. The blue blur found himself fidgeting in his seat, making the ebony hedgehog glare at him even more.

"What is it?" Shadow asked, gripping his hand on the steering wheel and shooting a small glare at his companion.

Sonic shook his head, staring out of the window, pretending to be absent minded, "Nothing,"

"Tell me,"

"No,"

"Tell me,"

"I said no,"

"I said tell me,"

"I'm just worried!" Sonic snapped, clenching and unclenching his fists in anxiety. Shadow briefly looked down with a blank expression – vaguely concerned about the fellow hedgehog.

Shadow took one hand from the steering wheel and placed it on the gear stick, slotting it into third gear and speeding the car up, "What about?"

"What do _you_ think?" The blue hedgehog leant forward, snapping open the glove compartment. He rooted around in the draw, digging through spare keys, packets of tissues, a quill comb, a bottle of water – all of which, belonged to the ebony hedgehog. Finally, Sonic held a beige letter into the air, clasping it in his hand.

"Read it aloud," Shadow muttered, quietly as his cloudy eyes darted on the road.

Sonic lowered his head, toying with the letter. The road was quiet other than the low hum of Shadow's Audi. The green hedges were whizzing past the windows, creating a protective barrier between the road and the woods. The leaves stretched up and over, stopping the damp drizzle of the rain from dripping onto the car. The valley which they were travelling through was long and expansive, with plenty of wide open spaces. Shadow was having to concentrate on the windy road, but he kept glancing towards Sonic.

"Please, I know you're worried about them, Sonic, but we need to keep a clear mind. Read it aloud. I need to hear it again. It just sounds so...implausible. I can't quite grasp it,"

"Okay," With a small sigh, which he hoped Shadow hadn't heard, Sonic unfolded the letter and scanned through his brother's scrawled handwriting before reading aloud:

"_To my older bro, Sonic,_

_It's been a while, hasn't it, dude? 6 months? Too long...too long..._

_I'm afraid my letter isn't just a nice reunion. I need your help. I'm okay, don't worry, and Sonia is too – but I'm worried that we're not going to be okay for too much longer. It's a very long and unbelievable story; so I won't give you all the details now, but something is killing the townspeople, one by one. As you know, Bartleby owns nearly all the land – and he says it isn't a murderer. He's had patrol guards, increased defence, the police – you name it. But people are still dying and the only thing linking them is they said they had seen a ghost, two days before they died._

_I know you don't believe in ghosts, Sonic, but I'm scared. Sonia has fled to mum's place with her kids, in fear of them seeing the ghost. There's nothing I can do – but I know you'll be able to think of something. Also, please, bring someone along with you. You've mentioned a dark friend who seems like he could get some answers out of people. He might be a safe bet._

_You know the route to Lilliwell, don't you? Please come, as quickly as you can. I've arranged for you to stay in the inn outside of the village. I will meet you at the town hall on the 31__st__ of October at 7:00 PM. They say the ghost will appear that evening, so I thought you might want to arrive by then. I'm sorry about this. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't completely important._

_Please come._

_Your younger bro,_

_Manic_,"

"Are you sure he isn't playing a prank on you, or something?" Shadow asked, winding down his window to let some air flow through the car. The grass outside was also rippling in the wind, almost bowing to the passerby.

"I thought of that," Sonic replied, firmly holding onto the letter sent by his brother, "But Manic wouldn't go to such lengths. I mean, he's rang me up at three in the morning to tell me that he's on fire – but there's something else which makes me worried about him and that there is more to it than meets the eye,"

"And what's that?"

"Manic never writes letters. Texts, sure, but never a letter. That's too much effort. He would never write when he could text,"

"And you're forcing me to take you down here, all because of a hunch and a worried letter?"

"He's my brother, Shadow. If anything happened to him or my sister...I couldn't..."

"I get it," Shadow muttered, stiffly, before turning down a side road and picking up speed, causing the hedgehogs' ears and quills to blow in the wind, "I get it. What I don't get is why you told your brother that I'm your 'dark friend' who apparently harasses people,"

"I never said that!" Sonic cried, vaguely embarrassed, "I just said that you're a bit grumpy and are good at getting answers out of people. Which is true,"

"Thanks...that's the same thing," Shadow was starting to lose the will to challenge Sonic, "Anyway, who's this 'Bartleby'? Who apparently owns the whole of this...'haunted' village,"

"Lord Bartleby is the owner of the Bartleby estate, which is at the top of the village. He practically owns every house there – and he sells them out to residents. He's a bit of a know-it-all...I can't stand him,"

"How many times have you met him? I bet you've only met him once and you're just making assumptions,"

"He's my brother-in-law,"

"_What_?"

"He's Sonia's husband,"

"So...you're sort of related?"

"What part of 'brother-in-law', don't you understand?"

"Ha ha," The driver replied, sourly. The village was less than a mile away and the smooth, residential road was turning into a pothole-filled, bumpy nightmare, "A know-it-all who people can't stand? I'm surprised that Bartleby isn't your brother, instead of Manic,"

Sonic snickered, dryly; glad to have Shadow there to lighten the mood. At least the trip would be eventful...

**(...2013...)**

**Clickety clack. Clickety clack. Clickety clack.**

"_Day 2 of my investigation. Inspector Big is meant to be meeting me at the other end of the train line and I can't say I'm completely calm. This could be my big chance to really make it as a full-time infamous reporter – so I can't mess it up. The disappearances of these people are interesting to say the least, so I'm ready and prepared to put my full attention on the case. I still can't believe that my boss thought I was the one for the job. ME! Helping on a detective case! Of course, I'm just reporting on the events...not actually solving the case. But oh well! So, all I have to do is stay on this over-night train until I reach the town of Gupton and I'll be-"_

"Excuse me, Miss? Is anyone sitting here?"

Amy Rose glanced up, pen in the air and locking in eye contact with the person in front of her. She glanced down at her journal before closing her pen. Her lips parted, slightly, as she was surprised that someone would be making conversation with her. Well, she wouldn't call it conversation...after all, he was just asking a question.

"Oh!" Amy grabbed her coat, which was lying on the opposite seat, "No! I'm really sorry! I'm a bit all over the place today! Please, sit down! Sorry!"

"Heh heh...that's quite alright," The golden eyed hedgehog gingerly sat down in the seat, firmly grasping his messenger bag, "I just didn't want to presume that the seat was free,"

"Oh, right," Amy found herself blushing. She wasn't a shy person – being a journalist meant that you had to be confident and a tiny bit sneaky. However, when she wasn't working, the pink hedgehog found herself becoming flustered when strangers approached. Even if this hedgehog seemed pleasant enough.

As the carriage rocked slightly, Amy took the opportunity to sneak a quick glance at her fellow traveller. The grey hedgehog in front of her looked like he was in his mid twenties. He had bright golden eyes which glowed with curiosity and a strange array of quills on his head. His hair cut was weird, yet cool.

Around his wrists were oddly glowing bracelets, which joined onto the hem of his pristine white gloves. His boots had the same strange pattern; stretching down from his thigh to his toe.

The male hedgehog looked up for a second, taking his attention away from the folder in his hand to catch Amy staring at him. The female blushed, brightly, before quickly flinching away and staring out of the window. A smile appeared on the grey hedgehog's lips, before he looked back at his papers.

"Any reason why you're staring at me?" He asked, not even looking up. Amy turned away from the window, ignoring the scenery which was whizzing by. She glanced at the guy, wondering who he was, exactly. A journalist never leaves a stone unturned. Her own experiences had taught her that.

"No..." Amy replied, casually, "I was just wondering why you chose to sit here. There are plenty of other empty seats on this carriage. You could have sat there, but you didn't. How come?"

"Are you a detective as well as a journalist, Amy?" The hedgehog asked, curiously, making Amy's eyes widen. He looked just as calm as when he sat down – Amy's reaction didn't seem to faze him.

The pink hedgehog's eyebrows raised – a trick she had learned to do, long ago, "You've done your research,"

"Not really. There's no need to research somebody if you know where to look,"

"Have we met?" Amy asked, folding her arms and crossing her legs. Her brown duffle coat was snugly pulled over her purple business dress and her black high heels were strapped against her feet. Her jade eyes hardened, trying to intimidate the other hedgehog, "You seem...familiar,"

His own golden orbs brightened, as if he were amused, "I do? That's nice to know. I guess I don't go around completely unnoticed. I'm a photographer from another newspaper. You were at the unveiling of that new military ship, this year. I was doing a shoot for that story and I heard someone talking about you. You're the talk of the press. Once I heard about you, I never seemed to stop hearing things,"

She nodded, understandingly. Her memories were coming back to her and she did remember this guy. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember anything useful. Like his name. She could just remember thinking that he was good looking. Which was still true, "Good things, I hope?"

He laughed, cheekily, "Of course! Don't worry! My reason for coming over here, admittedly, is because I wanted to speak with you. I'm here for another photo shoot which is in a town not far from Gupton and I wanted to get to know you,"

"What about me?"

He seemed vaguely surprised by that question, "Oh...I don't know. What brings you on The Valiant Express?"

"I think you already know what I'm doing here. You've already mentioned it. How did you know that I'm going to Gupton? Or are you a stalker as well as a photographer?" Her tone came out a little harsher than she expected and she wore a smile to show that she was joking.

He faked a hurt look, "No! Nothing of the sort. Let's just say, your handwriting is very easy to read and that journal looks interesting. And, I've heard about the disappearances in Gupton at my work office. I figured that you'd be on that case because it's so strange,"

"Ahhh..." Amy leant back in her seat, feeling calmer around him, "What do you think of the disappearances?"

"Oh..." Silver lowered his head, smiling shyly, "I'm a simple photographer. I'm no journalist and I'm certainly no detective. My best guess is that they're linked somehow and are travelling somewhere. But I have no idea. Isn't that what you're meant to find out?"

"Not really. You may have heard of me but I'm also a simple journalist. I'm just going there to document the investigation for the public. I wouldn't know the first thing about being a detective!"

"So, you're not a fan of 'Sherlock Holmes', then?"

She laughed, pondering his random but interesting question, "Uhhh...I haven't actually read many of those stories. I love a mystery, but I prefer modern mysteries. Are you a fan?"

"I dabble. I find it interesting. I sometimes wonder if being a photographer would help someone who wanted to be a detective,"

The pink hedgehog cocked her head to one side, curiously, "Why would the fact that you're a photographer make any difference?"

The guy shrugged, cutely, "It's just a theory. Being a photographer means that you notice small things. Changes in the lights. Shadows. Minute details which a normal person wouldn't notice,"

"I'll take your word for it..." Amy smiled, brightly. He was nice. Interesting. Definitely cute. She certainly wouldn't turn down a drink with this guy, "So, where are you getting off then?"

"A couple of stops after you, I think. A town called Lyphenthorpe. It's nothing major. Just a normal photo shoot of the place. They've used some money to spruce the place up a bit and it's in the running for one of the prettiest towns in the country,"

"Sounds like a nice little break, huh?"

"True. It's certainly different to photographing models or military ships,"

The two of them laughed, companionably. A thought suddenly occurred to Amy, which she wondered aloud, "Hey, I didn't ask. You obviously know my name – but I never asked you for yours,"

"Oh? I'm sorry," He smiled, lighting up the carriage, "My name is Silver. Silver the hedgehog,"

Silver! That was his name! Of course, "It's nice to finally meet you, Silver,"

"And you, Miss Rose,"

**A/N – And I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop there! I know, sorry, but you'll have to wait until I post the next chapter! XD What do you think? Good start? Interesting? Mysterious? Please leave your thoughts in a review! It lets me know what you think, what you like and what you'd prefer in the next chapter!**

**Ciao!**

**T.C**


	2. Strange happenings

**Okay, I'll admit. This chapter took wayyyy too long to be published. I don't usually write this slowly – the next update will be far quicker (and hopefully, longer). **

**Anyway! Thank you very much to**: The High School Hero, AHeartForStories, Guest (**who I think is** AHeartForStories. **This will be very awkward if it isn't. If it isn't, you two have very similar reviews**), BlackPetals23, sonicxblazey, KumarKitty24, The Shadows Rider, Zgirl101! **Thank you for your support, everyone! :D It definitely inspires me, especially at this early stage!**

**Replies:**

The High School Hero – **Aw, thank you very much, FFN BFF! :D Yeah, Bartleby is in this story but I think you'll like Sonic's reaction to him in this chapter ;D Ah, well, I won't say anything about the Silvamy but I will say that there won't be a massive romance between them. There will be a bit of flirting (mostly from Amy) but there won't be a kiss or anything major ;D And we'll see more of the mystery as the story unfolds :D**

AHeartForStories / Guest – **Already hooked? Thank you very much! :3 That really made me smile! :D**

BlackPetals23 – **Ha ha! :D Ah, sorry about that XS Well, hopefully you'll remember the switches but there will be different relationships between all the characters which should make it different from Timelock House. And I shall be adding in more characters!**

sonicxblazey – **Fraid not :S**

KumarKitty24 – **Aww, thank you very much! :D Yeah, Tails and Cream should be interesting 'spiritual ones'! :D Ah, well, there will be a bit of flirting between Silver and Amy - but it's nothing serious. There won't be any confession or anything like that :D Aw, no problem! :D Thank you for reviewing! :3**

The Shadows Rider – **Ah, well, don't worry – there aren't any references or anything like that. Oh, nope, you're not meant to understand it yet ;D Actually, a few people have commented about pairings. Basically, other than obvious Knouge, some Tailream and casual friendly-flirting between Silver and Amy, there isn't too much romance. This definitely focuses on the mystery side of stories rather than romance :D**

Zgirl101 – **N'aw, thank you so much! :D**

Waveandcipher – **Ha ha! Aw, thank you! Well, I hope you're not too scared yet because I plan for it to get a lot scarier than this (probably more gory and creepy than Timelock House)! Thank you very much for your awesome review! :3**

DoubleEclipse – **Thank you very much for your review! :3 I have to say, I completely agree with you! After I read about the technology thing, I sat and groaned at how the technology would have worked better if the years swapped round! Sadly, I've already planned the plot and I can't really change it at this stage. However, in future chapters, I shall try and get the use of technology down to the finest detail! I'm not sure about the movie thing in '67, but texts were becoming more common in '94. But, thank you for pointing that out. I shall research it more in the story :D And I'm really glad that you're enjoying it so far! :3**

**So, just to clarify for everyone: regarding romance, there will be (obviously) Knouge, some Tailream and some casual Silvamy flirting :D**

**Well, here is chapter 2! Enjoy! T.C.**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Strange happenings

**(...1967...)**

The news shocked her more than Blaze would have imagined.

"How can they have disappeared? W-well...w-w-where were they when they vanished?"

"No one knows. They went out to play near the woods – but Vanilla _specifically_ told them not to go into the woods. You know how obedient Cream was. She wouldn't break a rule, purposely,"

"They're kids. They break rules. They probably went into the woods and are lost. They'll come back in a couple of hours, I betcha,"

"Knuckles, not all kids break rules like you do. And besides, they've scoured the woods. They're not there. They've literally **vanished**. There's nothing to suggest where they might be,"

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. And, regarding your theory, they've already been missing for a couple of hours. They left at around ten o'clock and were meant to come back to Vanilla at noon for lunch. When they didn't come, Vanilla went to look for them and she couldn't find them. The entire village has searched for them,"

"There must be something. Muddy footprints, snapped...twigs – I dunno! They just haven't looked thoroughly enough," snapped the red echidna, scratching the back of his head at the same time.

Rouge lashed out, "For god's sake, Knuckles! There isn't anything!"

"Then why did you tell us like you wanted to go and find them?"

"I didn't! Would you rather that I hadn't told you?"

"I never said that!"

"Knuckles is right. There must be something," Blaze retorted, loosening the collar of her shirt. Knuckles still had her bag as they entered the woods towards Lilliwell. Admittedly, their parents had never been content with the idea of the three of them strolling through the woods. But, Knuckles always said that he would protect them and Blaze highly doubted that anyone would kidnap them around here.

_Although, that theory didn't explain the disappearance of Tails and Cream..._

"Maybe we should have a look around. While we're here. We might find something," Blaze suggested, scurrying around for a moment before dropping to her hands and knees. She dug around in the dirt before leaping up and checking another area.

Knuckles shrugged, kicking the mud around and glancing through the tree branches.

Rouge didn't look impressed, "This is_ stupid_. They couldn't find anything, Blaze. What makes you think that we're going to find something?"

"We're kids. We might understand where they've gone," The cat reminded her, still scrambling about on all fours, "Knuckles, if you were a younger kid...where would you play in the woods?"

"Hmm..." The echidna frowned, picking up a loose branch and waving it around for a moment, "The lake. It's more fun there. When I was a kid, I'd always play there,"

"We're not going to the lake," Rouge huffed, waiting for the other two to see sense and back down, "Come on guys, you parents will be worried. Besides, it's movie night! What do I have to do to persuade you guys?! Knuckles – you can choose the food! I'll even eat those disgusting sherbet fountains that you like! And Blaze, we could watch Dr Who! It's on tonight, isn't it? You know you love that show!"

It was true. Part of Blaze would rather be eating popcorn and sweets (especially if she was watching Dr Who at the same time), in the warmth of Knuckles' house. But that wasn't the point. She needed to try and find these kids. It wasn't their disappearance that scared her. It was the fact that she knew these children. _She knew them_. And now they had vanished.

"If you want, you can go back, Rouge. I won't judge you. But I'm going to try and find something," Blaze called out to the bat, leaping up and running ahead, "I'll be at the lake!"

"Blaze! Wait!" After yelling to the cat, Rouge glanced at Knuckles, who was staring at her with a nervous expression, "We can't leave her. She'll get hurt. She could even get kidnapped. Something grabbed Tails and Cream. It could get Blaze. She's just a kid, after all,"

"You're right. I'll go with her. You can go back home and tell our parents that we stayed behind at school. It won't be dark for a while. We'll be okay,"

"No. I'll come with you. If you're going, I'm not just going to swan off back home, am I?" She huddled further into her denim jacket as she followed after the lavender cat.

"Thanks," He muttered, walking along side her, "But, you know, you give Blaze less credit than she deserves,"

"Huh?"

"She's a kid, but a smart one. If anyone can find Tails and Cream, it's her. And besides, she's not that young. She's only 8 months younger than I am. She's only a year younger than _you_,"

"I guess. But she's so _naive_ when it comes to the real world. She thinks it's like the worlds in her books. She doesn't know that it's like. She doesn't know what people are like. She sees the world in rose tinted spectacles. I don't want to see her getting hurt. That's why I'm coming,"

"So, that's the **only** reason?"

"Yeah. Well, that and _to spend some alone time with you_," She winked, suggestively at Knuckles, making his throat clench and his stomach whirl.

A blush developed on the echidna's muzzle, "**W-what**?"

"I'm only teasing you! God, you blush _so easily_, Knuckles. It's _embarrassing_,"

"Yeah, right, sure. **Whatever**," He grumbled, picking up speed as the bat started to jog after her female friend, who was heading down the path towards the lake.

* * *

**(...1994...)**

"Shads, get a grip. The car will be fine. Stop _fussing_,"

"Call me that again and I'll **kill** you. And I don't want to leave my car somewhere for it to get **vandalized**!"

"It won't! Look, we're going to be late. Just lock up and leave, already! I promise that it will be fine! If it isn't...**I'll buy you a new one**!"

"Really?" This exclamation was starting to interest Shadow. Then again, it wasn't out of character for Sonic to yell something so dramatic in his moments of desperation, "Do you _swear_?"

"I _swear_,"

"On your _mother's _life?"

"I swear on my _mother's_ life,"

"On your _brother's_ life?"

"Can we just go already?! It's getting late. We're going to miss it, if we're not careful,"

"Of course. I don't think that ghosts like being kept waiting,"

Sonic struggled to keep a smirk off his face, "People are **dying**, Shadow. Not exactly the best time to be telling jokes,"

"_Lighten up_, you sour-hog,"

"You, of all people, are telling me to _lighten up_?"

"**Watch it**,"

"Heh, you can watch my blue behind as I beat you in another race, slow poke!"

"Not this _again_..."

"I clearly won that race!"

"I _distinctly_ remember crossing the line before you,"

"**Liar**!"

Before their dispute turned into something major, Sonic and Shadow heard the sound of footsteps come into earshot. As soon as he saw his blue brother, Manic the hedgehog's face lit up in glee.

"Bro!" The brothers embraced, patting each other on the back as they laughed, "I've _missed_ you, man,"

"Me too, dude. Me too. It's been quiet. I've missed the sound of your drums,"

"Ah, shame, bro. I'll put on a concert for you, after we've sorted all of this out,"

Sonic chuckled, slapping his palm on his thigh in amusement, "Manic, you _kill_ me. Anyway, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Shadow the hedgehog,"

Manic's eyes widened as Sonic pointed towards the ebony hedgehog. Shadow straightened up, leaving his car and holding his hand out, "Hello,"

"Uh, sup," The green hedgehog shook Shadow's hand, nervously eyeing him up, "I've heard a lot about you. Sonic thinks you're a good friend,"

"Don't get all mushy on me, Manic," Sonic interjected, blushing in embarrassment.

Shadow smirked, enjoying the look on the blue blur's face, "Really? Well, he never said,"

"Probably because you never listen to me. And besides, we don't want your head getting any bigger than it already is," The speedster rolled his eyes, mockingly.

Shadow didn't look impressed, "Shut it, Sonic,"

"Ah, my second _brother in law_," A yellow mink stepped forward, making Shadow narrow his eyes in suspicion. He didn't look like your typical mobian. With springy yellow hair that seemed to be curled (_which Shadow thought was a tad suspicious_) and a long red trench coat which gave him a 'regal' appearance, Shadow jumped to the conclusion that this must be the Lord Bartley that Sonic had spoken about, "How..._lovely_...to see you again..."

Sonic didn't seem to notice Bartleby's unenthusiastic greeting, "Yo, Bartlebutt. How's Sonia? And the kids?"

"They're fine. In light of the recent events, I suggested that they stay with your mother. I couldn't bear it if something happened to them,"

"Hate to say it, but you're right. You made the right choice. Anyway, Bartleby, this is Shadow the hedgehog," Sonic stepped back, allowing Shadow and Bartleby to glare at each other.

The conceited mink simply sniffed, "_Who_? Look, Sonic, I haven't got time to meet all of your _little friends_. In case you didn't know, we are being _savagely_ attacked! Who knows who could be next?! It...it might even be **me**!"

"_Jeez_...I don't know how Sonia puts up with him," Sonic whispered to Manic, although he didn't make a good job of lowering his voice.

The green brother nodded, comparably, "Yeah, true, man. But, then again, I have to live in the same place as him, with _nothing_ in return. At least Sonia gets some benefits out of it,"

Ignoring Sonic and his brother, Shadow stepped forward, sourly, "Listen here. I'm no '_little friend'_ of Sonic's. If you want to survive this, you'll need my help.** Insulting** me isn't the way to gain my assistance,"

"_...apologies_," Bartleby lowered his head, almost guiltily; "I shouldn't have tarnished you and Sonic with the same brush. Perhaps you will be different to him. Anyway, will you help us then?"

"Depends. I'm still a little confused about the whole situation. It's only five o'clock. Shall we go somewhere and discuss the matter?" After receiving a nod from Bartleby, Shadow turned to Sonic, "Are you okay with this?"

"Uh, sure, whatever. Where should we go?" Sonic stepped forward, shooting a small glare at Bartleby and feeling partially jealous that Shadow had managed to earn the mink's respect, "What about yours, Bartleby? We can hardly go back to the inn and Manic's house is further,"

"Very well. Follow me then," Lord Bartleby took the lead, navigating the hedgehogs through the market square in front of the town hall. Manic marched at the back, allowing Sonic and Shadow to converse without being heard.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you've made a new _friend_," Sonic snapped, almost enviously.

Shadow gave him an innocent yet hardened look, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"**You**. And **Bartleby**. Shall I make you two _matching_ _friendship_ _bracelets_? Are you going to _visit_ him every weekend, _drink_ rosemary tea and _discuss_ the fashions of society?"

"What the _hell_ are you on about? Are...**are** **you** **jealous**!?"

"Of course **not**!" The blue hedgehog muttered, ignoring the knotting feeling in the pit of his stomach, "I just can't help but notice that you two are getting particularly _cosy_,"

"Hmph. I can assure you, I'm not getting..._'cosy'_...with him. I am simply using him to find out what is going on. Don't you want to help? I thought the whole point of this trip was to stop whatever is happened here,"

"Yes, it is. I just don't like the idea of you and Bartlebutt becoming _BFF's_,"

"**B...F...F's**? Look, faker, I think you're making something out of nothing. Let's just get this over with. Try and play nice,"

"_Play_ _nice_? I do _play_ _nice_! He's just such an _egotistical_, _arrogant_, _hoity_-_toity_..."

"Sonic,"

"Yeah?"

"That's not _playing_ _nice_,"

* * *

**(...2013...)**

They had now left the country side, leaving the city with a hearty wave and a shroud of smoke. The endless rolls of grass and trees seemed to last forever as they passed several rickety fences. The sheep were grazing and lying down, simply enjoying the sunny splendor of the sun and basking in the glory of the picture perfect sky.

Amy was sitting with her back in the direction of the train; Silver was seated opposite and could see where they were going. He gave her a broad smile as she glanced at him. His camera was neatly hung around his neck, ready for him to quickly snap up a picture of anything he fancied. Amy knew how he felt, because she always kept a notepad in her bag in case she could get an interview or another big story.

"We should be in Gupton in an hour," Silver muttered, stretching in his seat, "Do you want a coffee or anything?"

"Umm...okay. A coffee, please," Amy lent towards her bag, to get her purse, when the train suddenly slammed to a halt - tossing it's passengers to one side like rag dolls. Silver was pushed further into his seat, whilst Amy was flung across the carriage - smashing into Silver's chest. She groaned, slightly, as her face brushed against his chest fur. She blushed at the photographer when the situation dawned on her.

"Sorry," She mumbled, hiding her red cheeks behind her pink quills, as she stood up and sat back in her own seat.

He bore a grin, as he rubbed the back of his head, "It's okay. You alright? No injuries?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks. Are you?"

"I'm good. Wonder what happened..."

"Let's go and find out!" Amy leapt out of her chair, grabbing her bag and pulling Silver by his wrist. He made a faint cry but didn't struggle and seemed just as keen to investigate.

The two of them headed towards the carriage door, grabbing the handle and stepping out onto the earth. The doors of the train, which would have been locked if the train was running and about to move on, were loose and easy to open. The steam from the locomotive train (which was the only form of transport in the area, because the mainline was down) was billowing out and the smell of coal was thick and foul. Silver coughed, clutching his camera and wafting the air around his face with his free hand.

"It looks like it's broken down or over heated," Amy pondered aloud, marching towards the train and tapping one of the free drivers on the shoulder. Silver scurried after her, feeling a blush form on his muzzle at her confidence.

The driver turned around, revealing himself to be a large, grey albatross. He frowned, looking confused and tired.

"Yeah?" His question was snappy.

"We would like to know what's going on," Amy jutted out her chin, remembering to stand tall when she was feeling intimidated, "The train just stopped, without warning,"

"I know that. If you can also tell me what's going on - be my guest. The train just stopped. For no reason,"

"And the machinery? All intact?" Silver stood by Amy's side, relying on his faint knowledge of mechanics, "Nothing snapped without someone realizing?"

"How _stupid_ do you think I am?! _Nothing's_ broken! My boss is checking it over again - but nothing is broken. It should be as clean and working as a whistle. We have no idea what's happened. It could be a while before we fix it,"

Amy's shoulders slumped, "Well, exactly how long is it until we get moving again?"

"**STORM**!" A female voice yelled out to the group, followed by the figure of a purple swallow striding towards them. The albatross rolled his eyes, towering over her.

"**What**? I'm talking to some passengers!" He barked back.

"I need you to move something in the train. Jet will tell you what it is. He can't lift it. We need your..._muscles_,"

Storm's glare turned into a look of delight, as he took the opportunity to show his muscles to Amy and Silver. Mainly Amy.

"I guess I better go then," He called out, jogging off in the opposite direction, "Ask Wave any questions!"

"_Sucker_," The swallow muttered, treading carefully towards the reporter and the photographer, "I see you have questions. My name's Wave. How can I help?"

"Well, Wave, we were wondering how long it would take for the train to be fixed?" Silver replied, smiling at her, warmly, "We're both on a tight schedule. She's getting off at Gupton and I'm getting off at Lyphenthorpe,"

"Gupton? Lyphenthrope?" Wave sucked in her breath, pessimistically, "_No_ _way_. Well, you're not getting there today. It's about an hour by train. God knows how long by walking,"

"Do you know how long it is by car? I have a friend who could take us there," Silver offered, causing Amy's face to light up in a grateful and hopeful smile.

"Good idea...but I heard something about a tree being down on one of the main roads. I'm afraid that you're not getting to Gupton or Lyphenthorpe today,"

Amy felt like screaming, but forced a cheery grin and gave the grey hedgehog a small hug, "Thanks for the offer anyway, Silver,"

"No problem," He mumbled, blushing faintly.

"So, what are you going to do?" Wave asked. She wasn't really that bothered but wanted to look like she was interested in customer satisfaction.

"I guess we'll have to head back. But I live miles away and it'd be a waste to turn back now," The photographer moaned, more to himself than to the girls.

"Well, there is a nearby village around here. You could go over there. I'm sure that they have an inn or a hotel or something. I could come and collect you when the train is fixed. We're not going anywhere until I get this _baby_ moving,"

"You'd really do that for us?"

"Sure. Call it _'part_ _of_ _the_ _service'_,"

"Oh! **Thank** **you**!" Amy squealed, also pulling Wave into a tight hug. The swallow grimaced, but patted the excitable hedgehog on the back.

"_No_..._worries_..." She wheezed, after being let out of Amy's vice-like grip, "You two should get going. It's late. Sundown isn't that far away and I need to get back to work. I guess you two are stuck with each other now. I'll come to get you as soon as we're fixed,"

The swallow sauntered off in the other direction, leaving Amy and Silver to grab their bags and get going.

"Well, it's a _pleasure_ to meet and be working with you, Amy Rose," Silver grinned, cheekily, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Amy snickered, as she shook his hand, "_Likewise_, Silver the hedgehog,"

Wave glanced behind her to see the two of them head into the carriage and come out again with their bags, before strolling down a little dusty road.

She smiled, "Still, it's weird. We checked the train this morning. It was fine. Finer than fine. And now it's like it just decided to stop working. And that tree which fell down. No storm...**nothing**. I wonder..."

"**Hey**! **Wave**! Stop talking to yourself and _get_ _over_ _here_! We need you over here!"

_Oh well..._she thought, _back to work._


	3. Come, little children

**Well, I actually managed to make myself scared, whilst writing this chapter.**

**I wouldn't have said it was scary, but in the dark, listening to creepy music...I kept jumping when the floorboards creaked. If you're brave, or want to be scared, turn of the lights and play 'music box music creepy' on YouTube – whilst reading this. Have fun ;D**

**Right, thank you so much to: **The High School Hero, PoeticLover1996, BlackPetals23, AHeartForStories, Zgirl101, , waveandcipher! **Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! :3**

**Replies:**

The High School Hero – **Yep! The Babylon Rogues have finally been added! :D Ah, well, I guess you'll have to see how the Silvamy develops! ;D Ahh...well, 'Bartlebutt' is an insult from Sonic Underground but, in this chapter, Sonic calls him 'Barfleby' which I created ;) Ahhh...well, Bartleby better be careful then! XD Peace out, FFN BFF! :D**

PoeticLover1996 – **Thank you very much! :3 This chapter is a bit longer and things start to get creepily interesting ;)**

BlackPetals23 – **Ah ha ha! :D Your questions will be answered in time! Ahh, dammit, Timelock House! XD Messing with people's minds! Hopefully, this will expand away from Timelock and won't confuse you! :D**

AHeartForStories – **Ha ha! A brilliant ending for that last chapter! :D I shall post it at the beginning of this chapter. Here is the update! :D**

Zgirl101 – **Thank you! :3 Suspense is rising...**

– **Thank you very much! :D This chapter is a little bit longer, you'll be pleased to hear! :D Thank you ever so much! :3**

Waveandcipher – **Ha ha, well, you're probably both braver than I am! XD Ah, okay, it's nice that you guys share a fanfiction account! :D Blazeandblaze would be a cool penname but I think Waveandcipher sounds awesome! :D And thank you very much for reviewing on my stories! :3 It means the world to me.**

Guest – **Judging by your review, I guess that you've read some of my other works and prefer them to this. I'm sorry that you don't enjoy this story, but could you tell me, constructively, why you don't like this story. I will try and take your comments into consideration if you tell me what you don't like about it.**

**END OF REPLIES**

**So, recap of last chapter:**

'**How did the tree fall on its own? Did someone mess with the train? And will Sonic be able to play it nice in front of Bartleby? Stay tuned for the next chapter!' –written by** AHeartForStories

**And, a shout out to** The High School Hero! **Happy birthday, FFN BFF! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, the people who have died, Danya the receptionist, the Village of Lilliwell, Lake BrightWitch and Tommy Saunders the badger!**

Chapter 3 – Come, little children...

**(...1967...)**

In the summertime, Lake BrightWitch was rather peaceful. The water lay still with little insects dancing across the surface, it was a rather murky turquoise colour and the plants looked incredibly tropical. Dragonflies zipped from flower to flower and there was a nice smell of lavender – a patch was growing a few metres away from the water.

Blaze, however, did not stop and admire the scenery. She hurried through the woods and skidded to a halt when she reached the lake. Her mouth had grown dry and she needed to sit and rest from the run – but she shook off her weariness and stepped towards the lake.

She pouted. It didn't look any different to the last time that she came here.

"Still, there might be some hidden clues," She muttered to herself, treading towards the lake. The ground was seemingly solid – made from bark chippings and pebbles – but as Blaze took another step forward, the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Her shoes and socks managed to soak up the stagnant water in the lake before someone grabbed her wrist and hauled her back onto the bank.

"Thank you..." She breathed, feeling her heart beat against her chest from the shock. Knuckles shrugged, watching her as the cat took off her suede shoe and poured out the excess water.

By now, Rouge had caught up with them. She sighed, stressfully, as she realized what had happened, "You fool! You could have _drowned_! We need to go back!"

"You know, Rouge," Blaze called out, as she buckled up her school shoe, "Out of all people, I thought _you_ would have been the most interested in all of this. What has happened to your adventurous side?"

The bat pouted, "It vanished when I realized that you're acting like a **child**,"

"Why don't you just calm down and have a bit of fun? Sure, I could have fallen into the lake. But Knuckles saved me. And anyway, I can swim. I'd be fine," Blaze huffed, clambering to her feet and glancing round, before pushing her glasses further up her face.

Rouge gestured at Knuckles to comment, but the echidna shrugged and lamely said, "Yeah, well, be a bit more careful next time, eh?"

"Sure, Knuckles," The cat nodded, shuffling around in the dirt, "I need something clearer to look at all this stuff. My glasses aren't good enough,"

"...how about this?" Guiltily, Rouge dug around in her jean jacket pocket, before offering a magnifying glass to Blaze, "Might help,"

"...it's perfect. Thanks," She smiled as she recognised the instrument. Blaze had bought this for Rouge on her birthday. The bat had been obsessed with the idea of becoming a detective, when she was younger. It had taken Blaze ages to find the perfect present, "I remember this. Your 13th birthday, right?"

"Yeah..." Rouge grinned, "It's one of my prized possessions,"

"Maybe you wanna put your detective skills to good use?" In a questioning manner, Blaze offered her hand out to the bat, "Like old times?"

"...Go on then. You've persuaded me," With a small sigh, Rouge reached out and squeezed Blaze's hand before bending down and running her hand through the dirt, searching for anything unusual, "Like old times,"

"Hey, what's this?" Knuckles leapt up, clutching something in his hand. He waved it about, signalling at his friends, "I found this in a patch of reeds,"

"What is it?" Blaze darted forward, bearing in mind that the ground was unstable. Knuckles held out the unknown item to her. Her eyes narrowed.

_What is it? It's so muddy..._

"That looks like a bow tie," Rouge prodded it with her index finger, slightly smudging the mud that was caked onto it, "Why is it so wet and dirty?"

"Dunno," Knuckles shrugged, handing it to Blaze, "Tails didn't wear a bow tie. Cream didn't either,"

"Cream wore a blue tie," Blaze mumbled, feeling incredibly worried about her little friends. She was starting to doubt Knuckles' theory that they would come back, "But she wouldn't have worn this. It looks too small for her,"

"It looks like the kind of accessory that you'd put on an animal," Knuckles' frown deepened, "You know, the kind that you put on a dog. But neither of them had a dog,"

Blaze stared at him with wide eyes, "No, but Cream had a..."

"**OH MY GOD**!" Rouge screamed, covering her mouth with her hand and pointing a trembling finger at the lake, "WHAT THE FUCK!"

"What is it, Rouge?" Knuckles yelled, leaping towards her and pulling the bat into his arms. He pulled them back, trying to protect her from whatever had scared her.

Blaze gasped, following Rouge's gaze and seeing the source of her screams, "That's blood!"

"Blaze! **Don't**! Get back here!" Knuckles yelled, furiously, as the lavender cat charged through the reeds – towards the side of the lake. On the bank, the soil was stained with a pool of blood and the red liquid trickled into the lake.

"W-w-w...w-what is it?" Rouge sniffed, calling out to her friend. The echidna and the bat waited for Blaze to say something, nervously. The cat was standing next to the blood – staring into a collection of reeds.

"Blaze..." Knuckles growled, silently begging for her to come back, "...what is it? Say something or I'm coming over there,"

She turned round, extremely slowly, with tears pouring down her cheeks. Knuckles and Rouge's breaths were caught in their throats, as they waited for her to explain. Blaze never cried.

"It's...it's..." Blaze's voice broke, as another tear dripped out through her violet fur, "...it's...it's..."

"That's it," The echidna growled, releasing Rouge and storming over to comfort his younger friend. He hissed when he saw it, draping an arm around Blaze's shoulders as she cried, "**Jesus**..."

"What is it!?" Rouge cried, stepping forward, but was stopped when Knuckles put his hand up.

"Don't," He warned, sternly. He knew that the sight of the chao would upset her. God, it was upsetting him enough as it is, "It's Cheese. Cream's chao. He's...he's...I think he's **dead**,"

**(...1994...)**

"Three days ago – Tanya Gibson, a normal and healthy fox mobian – died from unnatural causes. They have no idea how she died. Her heart just seemed to...stop. Two days prior to this event, Tanya expressed some..._odd_ _beliefs_,"

"_Odd_ _beliefs_? What does that mean?"

"She kept talking about ghosts. She said that they came to her in the night. They whispered things to her. About **death**. And **murder**. She was terrified. Her sister thought that Tanya was going to kill herself. That didn't happen, because...well,"

"She was **murdered**,"

"We can't assume anything yet, Sonic," Shadow silenced his blue rival, as he glared at the roaring fire. Only seven minutes ago, the clock had struck half five. He only had 1 hour and 13 minutes until he needed to face something that seemed to be killing people.

And he had no idea what it was.

"Who are the other victims?" Shadow inquired, scanning through the pictures of the corpse of this '_Tanya'_, "I presume that there are more,"

"Seven. All in the last two weeks. They are Alonzo Higgins, Joan Harper, Lynda Griffith, Jose Hunt..."

"I get the picture. It seems like the identities of the people doesn't matter. Is there anything that links them?"

"Nothing that we can find, yet,"

"Did any die from natural causes?"

"No. All of their hearts stopped, abnormally,"

"At different times?"

"Yes,"

"Who was the first to die?"

"Alonzo Higgins,"

"When did he die?"

"Thirteen days ago,"

"Hmmm..." Shadow nodded, sinking back into the arm chair. Bartleby frowned, waiting for the ebony hedgehog to say something, but was disappointed when he received no sign of recognition from Shadow.

"_Well_?" He snapped, feeling irritated.

Sonic stood up, glaring at the mink, "He's _thinking_. Listen, we'll need to investigate more before we have an answer. Remember, we're **not** your servants,"

Bartleby was about to make a snarky comment, but Manic interrupted him, "Understood. Do you want to hear about the boy who claims that the ghost will come tonight?"

"Sure," The speed demon smiled, grateful that his brother had averted an argument, "Who is this poor kid?"

"Tommy Saunders," Manic nodded at Sonic's grim face, "You remember him then? The kid that lives next door to me,"

Sonic made a small sound of agreement. He'd spoken to Tommy a couple of times. He seemed nice. Orphaned, sadly, but was now living with his auntie. Innocent, for a kid of eight, "What has he said?"

"Perhaps it would be better for you to go and ask him," Bartleby suggested, stretching upwards and beginning to shoo Sonic and Shadow away from the fire, "Like you said, you'll need to _investigate_,"

"Are you trying to get rid of us?" Sonic snapped, feeling smug when Shadow refused to move, "What's the hurry...**Barfleby**?"

"You're so _immature_, Sonic. You're 22 years old – yet you act like you're **six**! Maybe you should leave this to the **adults**," The mink sniffed, seating himself in an armchair and glaring at Shadow, "Perhaps it would be best if you **left**, as soon as possible,"

"You _snobby_..." Sonic strode forward, clenching his fists, but was stopped by Shadow – who had leapt of the chair and was dragging the blue hedgehog towards the door, "I have no idea why Sonia married you. I can't believe that you're in charge of this place. I can't believe that we're even _helping_ you! The least you could do is be a little bit **grateful**!"

"Sonic..." Shadow muttered, still pushing him towards the door. Manic was wearing a worried expression and Bartleby seemed to be trying to ignore Sonic, "Let's go. There's nothing more that we can do here,"

Sonic finally shut up, looking at Shadow in sadness, "..._fine_,"

The two of them managed to shoot one final glare at Bartleby, before storming out of the mansion. The servants gave them nervous glances, but Shadow and Sonic felt strangely proud of themselves for making a stand against Bartleby. As they strode through the main doors, into the pouring rain, Manic called their names.

"I'm sorry, Sonic. And I'm sorry, Shadow," The green hedgehog lowered his head, as if he had been the one to insult them, "I really am,"

"_Bro_..." Sonic shook his head, patting Manic on the back.

"None of this was your fault," Shadow consoled the drummer, in a blank manner, "Do not blame yourself,"

Manic grinned, staring up into the rainy night sky, "Thanks guys. So, what's the plan?"

"I suppose we're going to Tommy Saunder's house. That's the only lead that we've got," Sonic groaned, also sticking his nose up at the rain clouds, "Manic...what are we facing? What do you think is going on here?"

"My guess? I thought that it was just some kids playing tricks, at first. But Tommy is kind. None of the kids would prank him. I'm starting to wonder if there is something _supernatural_ going on here," He shrugged, casually, "But that's just my guess. Listen, if you're going to Tommy's house, I'll come with you. As I said, I'm right next door,"

"Cool, thanks bro," Sonic grinned, turning to Shadow, "Ready for the mystery to begin?"

Shadow smirked, mockingly, "_Mystery_? I'm not sure what we're trying to discover, yet, but yes. The _mystery_ has begun,"

**(...2013...)**

"There you go, madam. There is your key," The receptionist tapped away at her keyboard, after handing Amy the key to her room, "You know, I'm surprised. I _really_ thought that you two were a couple. You look _very_ cute together. Especially _him_,"

The road that led away from the train took Amy and Silver to a little village, just like Wave had said. It was a cozy little place called '_Lilliwell_' - according to the wooden sign outside - and it was rather sweet. She hadn't been able to take a proper look at the residents, but Amy could imagine that it was a great place to retire. Perhaps, in the olden days, children did live here, but she couldn't imagine it now. It was isolated from civilization that it would be impossible for children to grow up here.

Quickly, they had managed to find a small public hotel which was open for the night. The Oakwood Inn was nicely decorated and designed - but Amy couldn't imagine that it got many visitors and it was probably for that reason that it was rather basic. Still, she couldn't complain and it was nice, in it's own way.

Except for the receptionist. She was starting to get on Amy's nerves.

"Right. Well, we're **not**. As I've already said," Amy replied, through gritted teeth. She couldn't help but notice that the receptionist's nails look rather like talons, "Well, _thanks_. We'll go to our rooms then,"

"Have a nice night!" She called cheerily. Apparently, her name was '_Danya'_ – according to the name tag, "And I'll see you in the morning!"

"God, I hope not," Silver muttered, also breaking out in a smile when Amy laughed. The two of them were located on the second floor of the Oakwood Inn – and the pink hedgehog was glad that she knew someone on the same floor. If she had any problems, she could talk to Silver. Besides, it could be fun.

They clambered up the stairs, hauling their bags behind them. Silver, a natural gentleman, had offered to carry Amy's suitcase – but she had refused, saying that '_how could she let someone else carry her bag and yet not carry anything herself_?' Silver had to admit that she had a point.

Eventually, they reached their rooms. Silver was number 24 and Amy, to her relief, had been given number 26. They were next door to each other (_Number 25 was located across the hallway_).Amy felt safer, knowing that. Perhaps she had been a little harsh with '_Danya'_.

"Well, I suppose I better go and unpack," Silver smiled, leaning against his door in a cute manner, "It's going to be a _long_ day tomorrow,"

Amy nodded, hopefully, before tucking her hair behind her ear, "Yeah. Do you think that...uh, _Wave_...will have fixed the train by tomorrow?"

"I hope so. I'm not entirely sure, though. I guess we'll have to wait and see," Silver chuckled, slotting his key into the door, "...well...I better..._umm_,"

"Right! Right!" Amy also slammed her key into the lock, perhaps a little more forcefully than Silver, "Night, Silver,"

"Night, Amy,"

As soon as she had wheeled her luggage into the room, and securely shut the door, Amy threw herself onto the clean bed, cursing herself for acting like an idiot.

Tomorrow was _definitely_ going to be a long day.

**(...1967...)**

They were waiting at Blaze's house.

Upon finding the chao's body, Knuckles forced Rouge to calm down and fly ahead to the village. She informed the local vet of the tragedy – and by the time that Knuckles had carried Cheese to the village – the vet was already set up and ready to work.

"You were _incredibly_ brave, Knuckles," Blaze complimented, staring at one of the ornaments on the mantelpiece, "I couldn't have carried him here. Not when I was so traumatized. I'm proud of you,"

"Me too," Rouge agreed, swiping her running mascara off her face, "Well done, Knuckie. You might have saved his life,"

Knuckles didn't say anything. He had a sinking feeling that they had found the chao, already dead. He didn't want to upset the girls anymore than they already were – so he made a soft mumble of agreement.

"I hope Vanillia is okay. If Cheese has been attacked so badly, I don't even want to imagine what has happened to Tails and Cream," Rouge shook her head, as if to shake the depressing thoughts out of her head.

Blaze's gaze sunk to the floor, "It's probably best not to think like that. They could be alive and well, sitting in a cave, waiting for someone to come and find them,"

Knuckles thought that was highly unlikely, but said nothing.

The lock in the front door clicked, signalling that someone was unlocking the door. Knuckles and Rouge shot off the couch like bullets, wanting to stand and greet Blaze's mother. The lavender cat, herself, stayed seated, waiting to see who would appear.

Blaze's mother was cradling a sobbing Vanilla as they stepped through the door.

"Blaze, could you put the kettle on, please?" Her mother asked, quickly nodding her head, as Blaze leapt up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Hello, Mrs Cat. Miss Vanilla, I'm _so_ sorry..." Rouge greeted, as politely as she could, ignoring her own wet cheeks. Knuckles nodded, also replying with a '_hello'_ and '_I'm sorry for what happened'_.

The two older women seated themselves, before Blaze's mother gestured for Knuckles and Rouge to sit down, whilst giving them a grim smile. They shared an armchair, uncomfortably, waiting for someone to say something.

Blaze dashed out of the kitchen, thankful that the kettle had already boiled, as she balanced a wobbly tea cup on a saucer, "Here you are, Miss Vanilla,"

"T-thank y-you, B-blaze. And t-thank you, Rouge, Knuckles-s," The older rabbit offered a small smile, as she took a deep sip. She breathed, slowly, as if she were trying to calm herself. The tears in her eyes showed that her efforts were in vain, "I'm...I hope...I'm over reacting about t-this,"

"How is he?" Rouge blurted out, shifting under everyone's confused gaze, "Cheese, I mean,"

Blaze's mother nodded, realizing that Vanilla wouldn't be able to explain without becoming upset, "He's stable. He's badly injured and half-drowned. But he should recover, with a lot of rest and care. Dr Gibbs will make sure of that,"

"Can...can he see how Cheese...ended up like that?" Blaze gingerly asked, aware of Cream's mother's vulnerable state, "I mean..._how_ did he end up there? And how was he injured?"

Blaze's mother paused, assessing the correct answer, "...Blaze, I'm telling you this because it's important. But I do not want you running off and trying to figure this out. It was a close call for Cheese – and if you three hadn't gotten there, he might have died. Thank god that you did. But you weren't meant to be in the woods. You know that. You _shouldn't_ have been there,"

"Mum..." Blaze argued, "...we were helping! We can find Cream! And Tails! We were close to finding them! We found Cheese, didn't we? We **can** do it! I know we can! We..."

"Blaze," Knuckles muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear him. And loud enough to silence Blaze, "_Please_,"

"But...!"

Rouge nodded, understanding Knuckles' logic, "He's right, Blaze. There's **nothing** we can do. Mrs Cat, would you be kind enough to tell us what happened to Cheese...?"

"Of course, Rouge," The older cat, who was a dark shade of mauve, offered Rouge a sad smile. She opened her mouth to continue, but Vanilla stopped her.

"It's alright, Grace," Vanilla smiled. It was a sad smile. A terribly distraught smile that twanged at Blaze's heart strings, "I shall...explain. You all deserve an explanation. I can't thank you enough. We...we spoke...to Dr Gibbs. He said that Cheese had been severely stabbed in the stomach...s-several times. His attackers-s-s then threw him...him...into..."

Knuckles bowed his head, before whispering, "Lake BrightWitch,"

Vanilla nodded, as her voice shook, "He nearly died, due to the water...and his wounds. He managed to...pull...himself up onto the bank. If he hadn't...then..."

"But he did," Blaze insisted, stepping towards the rabbit, "And that's the important thing. If Cheese can survive something like that, then there's hope for Tails and Cream,"

Vanilla nodded her thanks, but bowed her head as her shoulders shook. A sob could be heard, escaping her lips.

Knuckles took this as an opportunity to leave, wanting to give Vanilla some time alone, "Come on, Blaze, Rouge. Perhaps we should go back to mine,"

Blaze's mother nodded, mouthing '_thank_ _you'_ to the three of them. They all waved at Vanilla, but knew that they were the least of her worries. As they stepped out of the house, they could see Mrs Cat's arm draped around Vanilla, before they shut the door and silenced the sobs.

"**God**..." Rouge muttered, cuddling into her jacket coat, "...I don't know what to say,"

"We shouldn't _say_ anything. We should _help_ to find Cream and Tails," Blaze's tone was stiff. She clearly resented it when Knuckles had silenced her argument.

The red male shrugged, "Hmm. Perhaps we should. Perhaps we shouldn't,"

"For god's sake!" The lavender cat yelled, throwing her hands into the air. Her feet crunched on the gravel as she stepped closer to Knuckles. As the night had appeared, the houses located in the village had turned on their lights, sending their glow through the windows. The market square, marked out by a grassy court, was practically invisible in the concealing darkness, "Don't tell me that you don't care! So, you don't want to help those **poor** **kids**?!"

"We're _not_ saying that!" Rouge snapped, rolling her eyes to prove that Blaze was being ridiculous, "We're saying that it's a bad idea! Look, the adults can sort this. They don't want our help. We probably wouldn't be any help! We could get snatched ourselves!"

Blaze pouted, "I thought you were an adult. If I got snatched, would you look for me?"

"Of course I would!"

"Then why is this any different?"

"It just is!"

"How so!?"

"Look," Knuckles silenced the two girls, folding his arms and strolling down the lane, "Stop arguing. That _certainly_ isn't going to help,"

"What do you suggest then?!" Blaze was following him, with Rouge close behind, "We stand by and do nothing?"

"We don't search for them,"

"What!? Have you no sense of **duty**?! No, have you no sense of **friendship**?! Tails is your **friend**! Would you toss him aside when the going gets tough!? I'm surprised at you, _Knuckles_, of all people!"

"**Blaze**!" He snapped back, grabbing her shoulders and shocking her into shutting up, "I said we shouldn't search for them. We _shouldn't_ search for them..."

She tensed.

"..._at least, not when our parents know what we're doing_,"

**(...1994...)**

As he wriggled about on the dining chair, Sonic doubted whether Shadow was the best person to talk to Tommy Saunders.

"You say the ghost visited your friend...uh..._Yvonne_...?"

"Yvonne Rowles. Yes, sir. She was one of the seven to die. Before she died, though, she visited me. She said that I was the next one. The next '_victim'_,"

"Did she use the word..._'victim'_?"

"Yes, sir. She said it with frightful eyes," Tommy whimpered, shaking his little head. His badger-black-and-white-stripes glistened as he moved, "Am...am I going to **die** too?"

"_Hmmmm_," Shadow didn't seem entirely confident, as he leant back, casually. Sonic shot a glare at Shadow, before smiling at the shocked kid.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," The speed demon comforted the boy, giving him a small hug, "We're **not** going to let you die. Trust me. Ignore the **grumpy** black hedgehog,"

"**Hey**!" Shadow barked, as he burrowed his head into his chest fur, sulkily, "_Whatever_. What time is it?"

"Uhhh...6:37. What did you say to Tommy's aunt?"

"I told her to _go away and let us handle this_,"

Sonic shook his head, clearly embarrassed. Knowing Shadow, he probably did say that to the worried female badger. Oh well, perhaps Shadow's ruthlessness would get them through this.

"Right. We should go to your room," Standing up, Shadow directed that comment at the young child, who gave a slow nod before leading the way. Shadow frowned when the blue hedgehog didn't follow, "Sonic? Are you coming? Or sitting there all night?"

"Ehhh? Oh. No, I'm coming," He clambered off the chair, but halted when he faced Shadow's condescending glare, "What is it?"

The ultimate life form shrugged, gruffly, "Are you okay?"

"Course, course. Never better. You know me, love a mystery!" Sonic wore a cocky grin, but his eyes betrayed him, as he hopped from foot to foot, "Let's go then! I wanna see this!"

Shadow didn't reply. He was ignored as Sonic dashed out of the room and chased after Tommy, who was calling for the two of them. The ebony hedgehog stared out of the kitchen window, staring at the sky.

Sonic was nervous. The shifty look and the fidgeting confirmed it.

That worried Shadow, slightly. To know that someone like Sonic, who laughed in the face of danger, was nervous.

He guessed that it was because they didn't know what they were up against. Sure, that was slightly unsettling, but Shadow knew that he would be able to handle it.

Apparently, Sonic didn't agree.

Shadow glanced at the kitchen worktops, catching sight of a knife holder. Swiftly, he yanked the sharpest knife out of the slot and clenched it in his fist. Better safe than sorry – and it was better than nothing.

But nothing was going to happen. He was sure of that.

And if something did happen, well...Shadow was very handy with a knife.

**(...2013...)**

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

That **damn**, insistent tapping.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

How long had that been going on for now?

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

It was keeping her awake.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

She didn't need this right now...

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Arrrghh! Shut the **hell** up!" Amy yelled, throwing her journal down on the bed with a thump, as she stormed over to the window. Due to her room being on the second floor, she had received a room with a window that was directly next to a tree. As much as she loved nature: it did mean that the branch was tapping on her window, in the heavy wind. To say that it was driving her insane wasn't an understatement.

Snapping the window open, she bit her lip at the tree, as she thought, "Well, I don't really want to snap the branch..._hmmm_..."

It was still making a small thud, as it banged against the window pane. She growled, feeling as though it was mocking her.

"That's it," She muttered, reaching out and gripping the branch. It was cool in her hand, but it seemed to heat up as she bent the bark. Eventually, it made a sickening snap as it broke off in her hand. The rest of the branch was flung backwards, before batting against the hotel's wall, pitifully.

"**Sorry**..." Amy mumbled, chucking the branch debris out of the window, before shutting it again. With only the bedside lamp on, she stumbled through the darkness back to her bed, before covering herself in the warm sheets and picking up her pen. She smiled, due to the silence, and tried to recover her thoughts.

Once more, the silence was broken. Amy's ears pricked up as she heard the sound of music. But it wasn't modern music – like Eminem or One Direction (_which Amy wouldn't have minded_) – it sounded...old. The music was coming from a music box.

It was scared her more than she expected.

It started quietly at first, as though it wasn't playing. But after a couple of notes, the sound began to increase until Amy was sure that she wasn't imagining it.

It was sad. Incredibly sad. Her lips parted as the music played. In any other situation, it could have sounded beautiful. But, it sounded eerie. It made Amy want to cry. Not out of fear, although she did tense up in fright, but it touched her heart.

She glanced around. No one was there. The room was dark and quiet, except from the simple notes that were playing so beautifully. It could have been a music box that was left in the hotel, but she would have noticed it and _why would it suddenly start playing_?

She clambered out of the bed and flicked the light on. The electricity hummed and the music continued – but there was nothing to suggest where it was coming from. The rose hedgehog briefly wondered if Silver was playing the music – but how could something like a music box be that loud? She shouldn't have been able to hear it. It felt like it was playing in the room.

_Perhaps it was coming from the hallway...?_

**No**. She poked her head round the door, but the music suddenly became quiet. She frowned, shutting the door again and gasping as the sound rose.

Amy knew that it must have been coming from a child's music box. She remembered her mother having one, and she had been given it when her mother died. Amy smiled. The music reminded her of her mother. Another reason for why it made her sad.

The lights flickered for a moment, surprising her, but she blamed it on the electricity. Her heart was pounding and she was afraid to turn around, but she ridiculed her childish fear. What, would she turn around and find a ghostly music box? The idea was absurd.

The music had been repeating the same tune for a couple of times – but it suddenly **stopped**.

Her eyes widened. _Why...why had it stopped_? She knew that the tune hadn't finished. There was still, at least, another verse to go.

Then there was another sound.

"**Mmm...mmm...mm, mm, mm, mm...mmm...mmm...mm, mm, mm, mm...mmm...mmm..."**

A little girl. She was humming the tune. _Someone else was humming the tune of the music box._

Amy froze. No one else was in the room. No one else could be singing that tune. _Someone else was in the room with her._

So, understandably, Amy turned around.

And screamed.


End file.
